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Life is complicated, but the gospel is simple.
Jesus sees us clearly and loves us unconditionally. He forgives us wholeheartedly - we just need to admit when we’re wrong. He comforts and heals us. He invites us to enter the Kingdom of God, and he calls us to do the same for one another.
But we’re always messing it up! In Mt 21:28-32, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for not believing in John the Baptist's prophetic words.
To be fair - why would they believe a man in the desert wearing clothes made out of camel hair and living off of wild locusts and honey? He didn’t look normal, for one thing. He didn’t affirm their superiority as the leaders of their day, that’s another. We can only imagine how easy he was to discount - his efforts were laughable compared to those with the authority of institutional religion and government behind them. What did they care about the prostitutes and tax collectors he ministered to anyway?
In light of Christ - now, it’s easy for us to see whose side we’re on! We’ll take John the Baptist - strange diet, outlandish wardrobe, controversial companions and all because we know the end of the story. We understand how he paved the way for Christ to shine light in the darkness of our human condition.
But what do God’s messengers look like in our world today? Who is calling us into repentance like John did in his time? Who are we ignoring, discounting and feeling superior to in order to cling to the comfort of our sins and preserve our own sense of power and authority above Christ’s?
In his message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees last week, Pope Francis reminded us of Jesus’ words “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:35-36). He wrote “These words are a constant admonition to see in the migrant not simply a brother or sister in difficulty, but Christ himself, who knocks at our door.”
As we focus on the theme of radical hospitality throughout this academic year - I pray we can hear, ever more clearly, Christ knocking at the door of our hearts - his voice crying out to us through the humanity of those who are marginalized and oppressed. I pray we can trade our sense of superiority for the simple love of Christ, which has the power to heal us all.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
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My youngest son Logan used to give me and his dad “running hugs” whenever we arrived home. He’d run down the hallway and jump into our open arms sometimes even knocking us off our feet. We knew without a doubt he was excited to see us. No matter how our day had been going until that moment, it felt wonderful to be greeted so enthusiastically.
Unfortunately, too often, we arrive in places feeling invisible or awkward. I’ve learned that there is an immediacy about hospitality. It must not be delayed. I’ve had the privilege of visiting several Benedictine monasteries through the years. One of their charisms is radical hospitality. St. Benedict said, “all guests are to be welcomed as Christ” and so the monasteries not only offer food and shelter, but prayer and ministry too. Whenever I have arrived at the monastery for a retreat, one of the sisters greeted me at the door and accompanied me to my room. Usually there would be a bowl of fruit or homemade treats. I felt like a VIP.
I have friends who instilled in their children the simple act of greeting everyone in the room whenever one of them enters the room of adults. No one was to be “invisible”. Too often we greet people we know and ignore others as if the others are unimportant. I was recently in a meeting on campus where people introduced themselves spontaneously at its conclusion.
As people of faith and as Ambrosians, we can do better than that. People are hungering to be noticed, welcomed and to belong. We are called to make space for ALL God’s people. To treat everyone as a VIP. To be happy to see one another – maybe not with a running- knock- you- off- your- feet hug – but at least with a smile and a handshake.
This fall semester in campus ministry we’ve decided to have people wear name tags occasionally when worshiping in Christ the King Chapel, so that we can call people by name. We want people who are not Catholic to feel comfortable worshiping with us, so we put booklets about Mass in the pews. We are also working to make a family that was forced to flee their homeland as refugees, feel welcome here on campus through a program called Every Campus a Refuge.
There’s so much more we can do if we are attentive to the “other.”
Will you do your part to make St Ambrose University a place of radical hospitality where people are noticed, welcomed and belong?
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
